Browsing the web I found that a lot of people are building their own machines, building over a pc running a MAME emulator with a cool front-end. If you google images for ‘arcade cabinet‘ you will be amazed by what people are doing!!

I decided then to build my own, trying to use as much used stuff as possible, like a old computer, old screen and two usb game controllers that were broken but with the electronics hardware in perfect conditions. The cabinet will stay on the hackerspace from my town, TARRAFA HACKERSPACE, so we can set some championships, it will be fun for sure!!!

On this post, I will be giving updates on the progress (not much will be done during university semester, I hope to finish this project on holidays).

Right now I am working on the Google Sketchup design of the cabinet (and learning the program, as I’ve never used it before).

For the controller, I got an broken usb game controller, opened it and got the hardware, which was working, then I soldered all buttons with cables to connect on the arcade buttons.

It’s a very ugly picture, but you can understand how it will work.

The computer I will use, a old notebook headless and a 17′ 4:3 LCD. Installed with Windows XP.

Good Links:

• http://www.arcadecab.com
• http://www.hyperspin-fe.com
• http://www.hyperspin-fe.com
• http://www.retrothing.com/2008/03/diy-build-a-mam.html
• http://www.ultimarc.com/ipacve.html
• http://chris.polymathic.net/cabinet/
• http://www.koenigs.dk/mame/eng/stepweecade.htm

New updates soon! Keep posted!

Few days ago I received a ATmega8A Development Kit from ProtoStack.

The board is well made, and it has everything you need to start developing any kind of project using the famous Atmega8, which is the same µC used by the first Arduino. Actually, you can also use this board with different µC’s such as Atmega168 and Atmega328 (used in Arduino UNO).

The kit have a lot of space to add more components, and a good thing is that the VCC and GND voltage is easily accessed everywhere of the board. On the pictures and the video I posted here, I have connected the output pin PB2 to an resistor, green LED and to the ground, even without soldering the board works great.

It comes unassembled, which gives you the choice to choose in which frequency you want the µC to operate, using the internal oscillator or using the external one. For powering you project you can use a external power supply with voltage range going from ~7V to ~21V as it’s connected to a 7805 power regulator, or even power it using the ISP6 or ISP10 connectors (if your project is not current demanding). For uploading your projects, you can choose the ISP6 or ISP10. I have a USBtinyISP, where I use the ISP6 cable to transfer the compiled .hex file.

Overall I liked the board, easy to assemble and to use, it’s a great way to explore the world of microcontrollers outside the Arduino environment.
You can check more information on how to buy the Development Kit at their website.

For example, to make a “Hello World”, which is making a LED blink, I programmed it on C, compiled it with avr-gcc and uploaded with the USBtinyISP. You can check the result on the video.

Below you can check the description shown on the ProtoStack website:
“The ATmega8a development kit is based on our 28 pin development board which is compatible with many of the Atmel AVR microcontrollers. In some ways the kit is similar to an Arduino but with loads more flexibly. This kit is an easy and low cost way to get started with microcontrollers.
Included in the kit is the development board, an Atmega8a microcontroller, external crystal with supporting capacitors, AVCC filter parts, a 10 pin ISP connector, Power supply parts and more. For a full list, please refer to the “What’s Included” tab.

The development board measures 5″ x 3.7″ (127 x 93.98mm) and conforms to the Protostack full size form factor. It has 6 mounting holes and can be stacked with other full and half size boards. It is made of quality 1.6mm FR4 substrate and uses 1oz per sqr foot copper. All holes are through plates and treated with lead-free HASL.”

The Board:

Circuit Diagram:

Useful links:

• AVR 28 pin Board Datasheet (PB-MC-AVR28-DS-V1.6)
• AVR 28 pin Board Users Guide (PB-MC-AVR28-UG-V1.6)
• ATmega8A Datasheet

Photos:

Video:

Just want to share this cool Association that is being created:

The Open Source Hardware Association is Coming Soon! It will be a non-profit organization (status pending) working to spread the love of open source hardware. We’re working out details, and as soon as we know, you’ll know! Check back at oshwa.org for upcoming news.

They are asking people to fill a survey so they can know which path follow to make the association. You can help them by filling it here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OSHW

Some proposed purposes this organization aims to do are as follows:
(1) Educate individuals and the general public about Open Source Hardware.
(2) Organize the Open Source Hardware movement around shared values and principles.
(3) Provide information and advice on best practices and standards for Open Source Hardware.
(4) Encourage collaborative learning, knowledge exchange, and social cohesion through conferences and other events focused on Open Source Hardware.
(5) Promote the use and development of Open Source Hardware, including to encourage educational and economic development.
(6) Collect, compile and publish data on the Open Source Hardware movement.
(7) Conduct any and all lawful activities which may be useful in accomplishing the foregoing purposes.

Keep posted on their website: http://www.oshwa.org/

Back in 2003, I used to connect my computer on the my old 32′ TV, those huge and heavy TVs, to watch stuff from the internet, at that time, eMule was ruling the p2p community (can’t talk about USENET right? :} ). Then in 2008 I decided to build a better HTPC (Home Theater PC), a full dedicated computer connected to my TV, with good MotherBoard/VGA/SoundBoard, well, a good computer, with gaming capacities. It was good while it lasted, but you know, it was huge black box below my TV, bit noisy, but it did the job.

Early this year, I got a 2TB Lacie Network Space 2, which is a simple NAS Server, and a WD Plus Live. The WD PLUS LIVE is nothing more than a small computer with an operating system to playback videos and music. He has no storage, so it should you have to plug a thumb-drive, external hard drive on it or connect to the network, which will give access to shared files over the network, in my case, files are stored at the Network Space 2 connected to the router. When I bought the WD, I was impressed with the image quality, and how he can play heavy files without any choke. I watched the Band of Brothers show recently co-directed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg in FULL HD 1920×1080 , where files were like 7GB for episode of 50-60 minutes. I played all over the network, and it worked perfectly.

Anyway, my Lacie NAS stopped working, some problem with the file system, but the HD was still working great. There is a way to re-format the Lacie’s file system, but it’s a pain in the as*. So that’s when I decided to build a real NAS Server, running UBUNTU and using that Network Space’s hard drive and another 1TB driving that was laying around. I based my NAS on the DIY 200U$ PC from Paul Stamatiou, I don’t even know if he still has his own NAS, but I’m really enjoin mine.

Hardware

For the hardware, I ended up with a fanless MiniITX motherboard Intel D510MO, which has a Atom processor, Gigabit ethernet (all my home network is Gigabit, so it does make a difference). I am also using a 2GB 800Mhz Kingston RAM memory, and both two SATA connectors. The MOBO has up to seven 2.0 USB and one mini PCI Express, in case I want to add more SATA drives in the future.

As I told before, I am using a 2TB HD from my old NAS, and also a 1TB HD that I had, so ≈ 3TB, good enough for now… for now!

Power supply, well, just got a regular one, but another good solution would be a tiny power supply, for example the picoPSU.

Building the case

As the MOBO is fanless, I don’t think it would be a good idea to let it locked in a box somewhere in my apartment, so I decided to build a acrylic case and leave the sides open for air circulation.
You just need to get a drill, make some holes and you are done.

Software

O/S

There is nothing better then Linux for any kind of server, and my distro of choice is UBUNTU, quick to install, easy to configure get it running smooth.

For installing it, you could use a USB stick with ubuntu on it, and set to install from the stick, and you are good to go.

When UBUNTU was installed, internet started working right away and there was no extra driver needed, just what I like about this distro.

You may want to update the packs from your server. I like using the Terminal, you can do it simply by typing:

[cc lang="bash"]sudo apt-get update[/cc]
[cc lang="bash"]sudo apt-get upgrade[/cc]

Torrenting

For downloading stuff from the internet, such as my Linux distribution, I like using torrent, the best p2p protocol ever!
I like leaving torrent open 24/7, and my choice for this task is Transmission-daemon, it runs on the background, I can access it using any Browser, iPhone using a app called iControlBits or even using a super cool and multiplatform GUI called Transmission-Gui.

You can check HERE for a detailed tutorial on how to set the daemon + Gui.

Backups

For backups, I am using Super Flexible File Synchronizer, and backing up my files via SFTP.

For backup I use SSH and RSYNC via terminal. It’s simple, light weight and funcional, you don’t need to use ShareWare software for this, and the way I’m doing it, you can even backup to your server through the internet.

I am not using any RAID to clone my disks because one is 1TB and the other is 2TB, the second reason is that I don’t really need to backup all data on that disks. My main concern is Documents and Pictures, especially pictures! So these are the files I save on both drives. What i’ve done is, I always sync my files to one folder on the NAS via SFTP, then with RSYNC and Cron, everyday at 3AM, it checks if files are the same, otherwise they sync both HDs. Maybe not the best ou easiest way, but it works.

Next month I will move to Italy for one semester, and I know I will take many Gigs of pics. University’s internet connection will probably be fast, so I will backup everything from there to my NAS Server. So if something goes wrong with my files there, I will still be able to access them from home.

So, for backing up my photos via SSH to the NAS, I always want to make an exact copy of the files on my Macbook, so the code below does the job.
You can remove the -e ‘ssh -p 224′ part if your SSH uses the default port 22. And my server IP is 192.168.1.104, you should change to your IP.

[cc lang="bash"]rsync -av –update –delete -e ‘ssh -p 224′ /home/path/to/folders user@192.168.1.104:/home/path/on/SERVER/[/cc]

Webmin

Webmin is a great application to help you manage your server. I use it to create FTP users, manage crons and much more.

“Webmin is a web-based interface for system administration for Unix. Using any modern web browser, you can setup user accounts, Apache, DNS, file sharing and much more. Webmin removes the need to manually edit Unix configuration files like /etc/passwd, and lets you manage a system from the console or remotely.” Text from Webmin’s website. There you can find all information on how to install/configure it.

You should take a look!

Apache/Mysql/PHP/PHPMyAdmin

I like building websites, I usually run websites on my own computer before launching it to the world. But I am enjoying more creating websites and accessing them from my NAS Servers.

To install all this, just time on terminal:

[cc lang="bash"] sudo apt-get install apache2 mysql-server-5.1 php5 php5-mysql php5-cli[/cc]

Your default home folder will be /var/www

FTP

Right now I am using proftpd to run all my ftp file transfers (but today I usually just transfer files over SSH). You can use WEBMIN to handle the FTP, or you can follow many tutorials found on the internet. For example THIS.

SSH

To install SSH on your server, just use this:

[cc lang="bash"]sudo apt-get install openssh-server[/cc]

A good thing to do is to change your default SSH port, it can help on the security of your server. For that, edit the config file:
[cc lang="c"]gksu gedit /etc/ssh/sshd_config[/cc] where it says PORT 22, change to something like PORT 224.

Subsonic – Free Music Streamer

OMG, I wish I knew this software before, it AMAZING! Check the description from their website, I’m highlighting what I think amazing:

“Subsonic is a free, web-based media streamer, providing ubiquitous access to your music. Use it to share your music with friends, or to listen to your own music while at work. You can stream to multiple players simultaneously, for instance to one player in your kitchen and another in your living room.

In addition to being a streaming media server, Subsonic works very well as a local jukebox. The intuitive web interface, as well as search and index facilities, are optimized for efficient browsing through large media libraries. Subsonic also comes with an integrated Podcast receiver, with many of the same features as you find in iTunes.”

Here is what I am doing, when I am home, I simply use the browser to access all my songs. As it re-sample the music files on-the-fly, I created a user that I use when I’m not home, re-sampling files to 128kbps. And when I accessing via my iPhone’s 3G network, it goes down to 64kbps (slow 3G!!!).

On my phone, I am using a App called iSub, you can configure different bit-rates if you are using Wireless or 3G, and it also caches all songs played. So I don’t need to sync songs with my iphone no more, I just listen to songs on Subsonic and then shuffle them when I on the road. I am impressed, you should check it out!

To have it up and running, there are plenty of information on the website!

Now you have some pictures of the server up and running:

If you enjoy this post, or has something to say,
just leave a commend below.

Thanks for reading

I got my Dotklok up and running some days ago, I am really enjoying it on my room.
But I want to do more with it. Too bad right now I don’t have much time to play with electronics and build cool things.

Anyway, today I decided to spend some time learning the Dotklok’s code and add a temperature sensor to it. The result was really cool, and now I am sharing the bit of code I added to the clock.

To make it work in your clock, you must add a new effect called temperature(); in the switch area, then in
time animations, add the code below. And for the hardware, I used a LM35 Temperature Sensor connected in 5V, GND, and AD3, but can use any AD available, just change the code afterwards.

Here is the code, but you can check the RAW file too.
[cc lang="c"]

// temperature()
// Temperature Sensor + Clock – by Daniel Spillere Andrade – www.DanielAndrade.net
// Should Change the Temperature Only when minutes change, to prevent floating on temperature
// Based on http://www.danielandrade.net/2008/07/05/temperature-sensor-arduino/ – Daniel Spillere Andrade – daniel [a] danielandrade.net

void temperature(){

ht1632_clear();

plot(0,0,1); plot(0,15,1); plot(23,15,1); plot(23,0,1);

//Draw Dots and Temperature

plot(7,3,1);
plot(7,5,1);
plot(16,3,1);
plot(16,5,1);

plot(13,9,1);
plot(13,10,1);
plot(14,9,1);
plot(14,10,1);

// Drawing the ‘C’, it’s ugly I know
for(int i=16;i<19;i++){
for(int j=9;j<14;j++){
if(j==9 || j==13) { plot (i,j,1);}
else { plot(16,j,1); }
}
}

int temppin = 3; // Define LM35 PIN
int tempval; // Temperature Read Variable

tempval = ( 5.0 * analogRead(temppin) * 100.0) / 1024.0; //Makes the first read

/* TIME LOOP */
do{

time_now = RTC.now();

if( ( time_now.minute() != time_prev.minute() ) ){
if( !power_up && midnight_random() ) return;

tempval = 0;
for(int i=0;i< =9;i++){
tempval = tempval + (( 5.0 * analogRead(temppin) * 100.0) / 1024.0); // Reads the Variable and converts to Celsius
delay(100); // tempf = (tempval * 9)/ 5 + 32; to converts to fahrenheit
}
tempval = tempval/10;

}
// Here starts the code.
// Draw Temperature, only when minute changes!

putchar_3x5(5,9,(tempval%100)/10);
putchar_3x5(9,9,tempval%10);

//Draw Time
putchar_3x5(0,2,(time_now.hour()%100)/10);
putchar_3x5(3,2,time_now.hour()%10);
putchar_3x5(9,2,time_now.minute()/10);
putchar_3x5(12,2,time_now.minute()%10);
putchar_3x5(18,2,time_now.second()/10);
putchar_3x5(21,2,time_now.second()%10);

time_prev = time_now;

/* CHECK BUTTONS, return if necessary */
if( change_animation() ) return;

while( PAUSE && b5.isPressed( )); // pause mode for photos

} while(1);

}

[/cc]

Some more pics and video.

What do you think?
If you modify the code, don’t forget to share!

Thanks for reading!

Just for fun!

I won’t get in details about this code, it’s quite straightforward. But if you have any question, just ask!

[cc lang="c"]

/* Bhaskara Calculator
Daniel Spillere Andrade – www.danielandrade.net
Simple code showing how to use arduino to calculate Quadratic function.

X => [-b +- sqrt( b^2 - 4ac)] / 2a

Change the a, b and c to get the result via Serial Monitor
*/
int a = 1;
int b = -10;
int c = 25;
float delta, result1, result2;

#include “math.h” // Math!

void setup() {

Serial.begin(9600);

// Calculte delta
// b^2 – 4 * a * c

delta = pow(b,2) – 4 * a * c;

// Analize delta

if(delta<0) {
Serial.print(“DELTA=”);Serial.println(delta);
Serial.println(“Delta < 0, can't calculate!");
// Ends the program
}

else if (delta==0) {
Serial.println("Delta = 0, we can calculate!!!");

result1 = result2 = (-b) / (2 * a);

Serial.print("X1=X2="); Serial.println(result1);

}

else if (delta>0) {

// X1 != X2

delta = sqrt(delta);

Serial.print(“DELTA=”);Serial.println(delta);
Serial.println(“Delta > 0, we can calculate”);

result1 = (-b + delta) / (2 * a);
result2 = (-b – delta) / (2 * a);

Serial.print(“X1=”); Serial.println(result1);
Serial.print(“X2=”); Serial.println(result2);
}

//Done

}

void loop() { }

[/cc]

Long ago, I wrote How I Made my HTPC at my place. Time passes and things change. End of year has arrived, Christmas and everything, so I decided to upgrade my system to a more efficient and cheaper one. The new choices were using a NAS (Network Attached Storage) allowing all files can be accessed from any machine connected to the network, in this case I am using Lacie Network Space 2 2TB storage. A Gigabit router TP-LINK , so far I’m very happy with this router, although. A media player WD-PLUS Live that has an embedded Linux and play videos in various formats, even FullHD , and access online content like YouTube and some radios.

Media Center:

I will begin showing every part it:

Lacie Network Space 2 – 2TB

A NAS very powerful, relatively inexpensive and with a storage space for my current needs for backup and media like movies and TV shows.

The NAS has a good web interface, and you can even download torrents while your computer is OFF. It uses only 6W in standby mode and 12W in active mode.

You can manage your files via the Finder (I believe the Nautilus or Windows Explorer as well). Or the way I prefer, via FTP . Testing the speed via FTP I got around 30MB/s, really good for a ARM processor.

There is the possibility of hacking the device and get full SSH access, but as I do everything I need from my Macbook’s terminal or via the WDLIVE’s SSH , there is to change the hardware or the NAS.

Besides being able to access files over the network, there is also the possibility of obtaining your files by USB cable , but you will not have access to all files. When you configure your Lacie , you determine how much space is used as a network storage, and USB storage , which does not make much sense to me, but that can be some limitation on hardware / software.

Another peculiarity of this NAS is an extra USB port, where you can plug a thumb-drive or other storage device and access it from any computer in the house or even the Internet, since the Network Space 2 comes with the option to be accessed from anywhere on the Internet, through services like DYNDNS .

If you’re thinking of buying an external hard drive that don’t need to be small and portable, I find interesting in making some research about the NAS option, which is very good and practical.

Backups, backups, backups … I don’t live without them! You shouldn’t either!
Can not stand the idea of losing all my precious photos, so one of my priorities with a Storage System is the safety of my backups, which are made weekly using the Super Flexible Syncronize software, equivalent to SyncBack on a Windows PC. What I like about this program is the ability to update only what has changed.

WD PLUS LIVE

The WD PLUS LIVE is nothing more than a small computer with an operating system to playback videos and music. He has no storage, so it should you have to plug a thumb-drive, external hard drive on it or connect to the network, which will give access to shared files over the network, in my case, files are stored at the Network Space 2 connected to the router. When I bought the WD, I was impressed with the image quality, and how he can play heavy files without any choke. I watched the Band of Brothers show recently co-directed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg in FULL HD 1920×1080 , where files were like 7GB for episode of 50-60 minutes. I played all over the network, and it worked perfectly.

The Hack:
The WD PLUS LIVE is very powerful, but it can be much more. A boy named B-RAD , has compiled a new firmware for the product by increasing its possibilities infinitely. You can access the media player via SSH and may use it to download files, torrents, unpack large files, FTP server , to access IRC (and stay connected 24 / 7 ) and anything that a computer can do via SSH , so the imagination is the limit!
This new FIRMWARE you find HERE .

Thanks for reading.
Daniel

I’m planning on releasing all the project as Open Hardware/Source, but due my lack time, it’s not on my website yet!
Would you like to take a look at this project??

Hey, I got so exited about the DotKlok that I decided to build my own! As it’s quite difficult to buy one from here (I live in Florianópolis – Brazil), and to pay U$150 for the Kit wouldn’t work for me… So I want to build a good looking clock for my room, which I only have my computer and mobile as clock.

First of all, I needed to buy the 24×16 Led Display from Sure Electronics, which I found for a good price at eBay (little cheaper then buying from the Website).

I just got back from the gym when the board arrived from the post office, as you can see by my face:

Then I got the PCB from Dorkbotpdx, which came really fast and with really good quality, as you can see in the image below, and the board is dark purple, really cool!!

So here is the clock working:

My next step is to add a LM35 temperature sensor to it and learn the code so I can make my own effects. I will also disable some effects that it’s too hard to read like in more code, not really useful.

If you want to build your own, you should check http://www.technoetc.net/dotklok/ for instructions, code, design and everything else you may need.

Keep posted for my new mods for this amazing clock.
Thanks